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Published 7:52 pm, Saturday, September 4, 2010

Dick Van Hoose, Lorenzo ISD superintendent, said on Aug. 17 a custodian discovered some mold on a section of the wall in the speech pathologist's room, which is partially underground.

Van Hoose said the red brick on the exterior walls are more porous than the bricks made today and the heavy rains in July were the probable causes of the presence of mold. The room as well as an adjoining room were closed off while air sampling studies were done. Higher levels of penicillium/aspergillus types were found

Since this was the second appearance of mold in two years, Van Hoose said, it is time to test the air in the entire two-story wing, which will cost about $5,000. That nine-room area will be blocked off and tested Sept. 11.

Once the results come in, the school district will have to decide on what action it should take, he said. - Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

A few hours after the shooting police arrested 22-year-old Patrick Baca and booked him into the Potter County Detention Center on a murder charge. A second suspect, 19-year-old Mark Baca, was booked into the jail on a charge of deadly conduct for allegedly firing a handgun in public.

Police said several bar patrons were involved in a fight in the parking lot that preceded the shooting. Police found "numerous shell casings" from two weapons, according to a news release. - Amarillo Globe-News

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AMARILLO (AP) - The offseason at Palo Duro Canyon State Park in the Panhandle will include the search for a new superintendent and work on the main road into the park.

The Amarillo Globe-News reported Saturday that Nathan Londenberg assumed the acting superintendent position following the Aug. 31 departure of Randy Ferris, who served as superintendent since early 2007. Londenberg also has applied as a candidate for the permanent position.

Upcoming projects include work on the main road, which will close the park for four to five months, Londenberg said.

The superintendent position could be filled permanently as early as October or November, Londenberg said.

The park encompasses more than 29,000 acres of the canyon.

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LUBBOCK - A motorcyclist was taken to a Lubbock hospital with life-threatening injures after a crash about 11:26 a.m. Saturday at the intersection of Marsha Sharp Freeway and 34th Street, according to Lubbock police.

No other vehicles were involved in the crash and only one person was injured. Police hadn't released additional details about the crash, including the motorcyclist's name or how the crash happened. - Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

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TUCUMCARI, N.M. (AP) - Authorities said $1.3 million worth of marijuana was found in a load of cantaloupes after a motor transportation officer checked a truck parked in a no-parking zone on an Interstate 40 off-ramp near here.

The state Department of Public Safety said the officer became suspicious because the trucker's logbook did not match his story.

The agency said the officer then checked the truck to verify the cargo and found nearly 900 pounds of marijuana bundled, boxed and stacked behind the cantaloupes.

Authorities said the trucker and the load were turned over to U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents.

The melons from California were bound for North Carolina.

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LUBBOCK - Gunfire between police and a Levelland shooting suspect erupted at about 3:30 a.m. Friday just outside an East Lubbock house where three young girls were sleeping.

Family members of the girls' mother say Jose Juan Ortega, 27, whom police shot Friday morning after he fired one round at them, had been staying with the woman for a couple of days, though they didn't know he was a wanted fugitive.

Ortega was hiding from Levelland police after being charged with aggravated assault in an Aug. 23 shooting there when two Lubbock patrol officers showed up Friday morning in the 300 block of 54th Street looking for him.

After Friday's shooting, Ortega also now faces an attempted capital murder charge for shooting at police. Officers placed him under arrest at University Medical Center, where Ortega remained hospitalized Friday following surgery for a gunshot wound to the torso. - Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

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LUBBOCK - The Lubbock County Medical Examiner's Office ruled Friday that a 31-year-old man found dead in his South Lubbock backyard Monday died of a contact gunshot wound to the neck. But medical officials said his manner of death remains pending, meaning officials don't yet know if his death was a result of homicide, suicide or accident.

Two guns were found near the body. - Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

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CANYON - West Texas A&M University's student newspaper will return to its regular format following a one-year run as a magazine.

The Prairie, using the Amarillo Globe-News' printing facilities, will issue 1,500 copies Tuesday and plans to print on a weekly basis from then on.

"The basic story was that last year, because of some issues with finding a printer, they decided to go with a magazine format," said Butler Cain, a communications professor at WT and The Prairie's faculty adviser. "One of the hopes . . . was to return to a newspaper-style format, and (the university) wanted students to have the opportunity to function in the newsroom."

The paper has a staff of about 10 students. - Amarillo Globe-News

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GRUVER - A teacher in Gruver Independent School District has resigned following allegations of "educator misconduct" with a student in the district, Superintendent David Teal said in a statement Friday.

The district contacted Gruver police and is cooperating with investigators.

Gruver Police Chief Pyne Gregory confirmed an investigation is ongoing, but would not provide any more information.

Teal provided no explanation of the allegations, citing privacy concerns of students and personnel. - Amarillo Globe-News

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(Contact Kevin Lewis at 806-296-1353 or kwlewis@hearstnp.com. Follow him on Facebook.)